The background to the T26 model and Talbot's sporting achievements is comprehensively detailed in the description for the Le Mans barquette. (see lot 340)

Alongside these victories by the works team, 'Tony' Lago was in the business of selling cars and with his products desirability heightened by these successes, both before and after the war he offered privateer drivers the opportunity to purchase cars derived from the winning cars alongside the more staid production road cars.

Before 1939 these models were the T150 which would most famously be graced by Figoni and Falschi's 'Goutte d'eau' coachwork. In the late 1940s, the privateer cars were the T26 Grand Sport, conceived to exploit make's formidable reputation on the track.

Only 36 Grand Sport chassis were made between 1947 and 1953, as with all Talbot-Lagos they had their own chassis number designation, the fourth figure being a '1' or the '100 series'.

Specific history of this car

Chassis 110 154 was the last of the GS cars to have been built. It was sold new to privateer and industrial baker Lucien Vincent, through Eugène Chaboud who had also sold him a T26 C two seater.

Be they Le Mans winners, Grand Prix cars or privateer road cars the marque as a whole is immortalised in Pierre Abeillon's Talbot-Lago de course. Some of 110 154's early racing career is charted in the race records section. Between this and other sources it is known that the car campaigned these events and achieved the results listed:

The first event for the cars was the winter Rallye de Sestrière, where the car wore race number 30 and Vincent was paired with Delahaye and Talbot driver Pierre Meyrat.

Abellion notes that at the Coupe de Vitesse de Montlhéry on 30th March 1952, this car was used by Vincent racing under number '50' in place of his two seater T26 which was presently being rebodied to 'barquette' form in its preparation for that year's Le Mans.

On the same day, running in the Tourisme class, Vincent brought the car home in 2nd place.

A month later on the 27th April, in the Coupe de Printemps meeting again at Montlhèry, Vincent won the over 2 litre Tourisme class covering the 12 laps at an average of 127.533 kph.

On occasions that Vincent could not compete, Lino Fayen would often be employed to take his place or partner him.

The first of these occasions was at the Circuit d'Orléans on 8th June, when Fayen would bring the car home in 5th place. At the end of the month on the 29th a sixth place was recorded by him in 154 at the Circuit de Bressuire meeting.

At Montlhéry's Coupe d'Automne meeting on the 21st September, Vincent entered the Grand Sport, but drove his 340 America Ferrari, the Talbot wore race number 78, it is not known who the driver was or the result on this wet racing day.

In the spring of 1953, Fayen again campaigned the Grand Sport, at the Circuit de vitesse at Marrakech, wearing number 50 he was forced to abandon, but back on home ground he repeated Vincent's 6th placing at the Coupe de vitesse at Montlhéry on the 12th April.

Shortly after this Lucien Vincent would himself suffer a horrific accident in the Le Mans trials, putting him out of the whole 1953 season.

When he made a return to racing, it was a gentle outing in the Lyon-Charbonnières event in March '54, partnered by Fayen, the results of which are not known.

Vincent entered, but was forced to abandon at that year's Coupe de Vitesse de Montlhéry.

154's last period event was at that year's Circuit de Bressuire, when it was driven by Frédéric Albertini, but again failed to finish.

Sadly Lucien Vincent suffered a road crash in July 1956 in his Peugeot Constantin 1956, putting him in a coma for some 16 days, and leaving him in poor physical health. For this reason, shortly after this he sold the car to Paul Bignon a racing mechanic of the Chaboud-Pozzi racing team, and noted French enthusiast who was responsible for rescuing a number of race cars from being scrapped.

110 154 passed into the ownership of a series of collectors in France, including Guillelmet, Gino Terzulli and René Giordano, and then the previous owner who had it restored in the early 1990s at Carrosserie Lecoq.

The car was sold at public auction in France in 1996, when it passed to the current owner.

In the present ownership the car has had little use. Following a long period of being laid up, the owner requested that the car should be returned to the road. At this time it was discovered that the engine required serious attention.

At this point a cast iron cylinder head was sourced from a spare engine and fitted in its place. The car has recently been put into working order, but not registered for the road.

Cosmetically, the paint while well restored has now aged, and has various chips to the leading edges of bonnet, doors and boot commensurate with use. The interior is relatively unworn, while the engine compartment is a working area as opposed to being for show.